Endoscope and other optical instrument.



No. 795,567. PATENTED JULY 25, 1905. R. H. WAPPLER. ENDOSGOPE AND OTHEROPTICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1904.

entrain s rA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

ENDOSCOPE AND OTHER OPTICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application filed June 24,1904. Serial No. 213,913.

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Be it known that I, REINHOLD H. XVAPPLER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, andState of New York, have invented an Improvement in Endoscopes and otherOptical Instruments, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to an improvement in endoscopes and other opticalinstruments, particularly adapted for use in connection withelectrosurgical instruments employed in the examination for anddetection of diseases of a gastric or urinary nature, and the same .isan improvement upon the device shown and described in Letters Patentgranted to me March 2%. 1903, No. 723,790, with the two- :fold object ofincreasing the extent of vision and of facilitating setting and holdingthe hemispherical lens in place.

in my present as in my prior invention I employ a suitable telescopictube fitted with the necessary lenses to magnify and carry the image,the telescopic tube having a suitable cud eyepiece and being provided atthe opposite end with a removable end piece. in this end piece ismounted a plane-convex lens, whose convex surface is more thanhen'iispherical, set at an angle of about seventy degrees with the axialline of the telescopic tube, the flat back of the lens being silvered orsuitably coated to obtain the necessary reflecting property. This lensis cemented to a cylindrical sectionblock inserted in the bored-out endpiece. This end piece is interiorly threaded at its free end for an endplug, through which passes a set-screw, at its inner end bearing againstthe section-block to force the same to its seat in suitable cement toform a water-tight joint. This set-screw is afterward cut off where itprojects beyond the end plug.

in the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of my improved opticalinstrument. Fig. 2 is a plan, in larger size. of the end piece and apart of the tube at one end and at right angles to Fig. 1;and Fig. 3 isa longitudinal section centrally of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

(1 represents the telescopic tube; 6, a headpiece, and w an eyepiecethereto at one end,

which so far generally correspond to similar parts shown in my aforesaidpatent, this tube being, as usual, provided with suitable lenses tomagnify and carry the image. The free open end (I of the telescopic tubeis interiorly threaded to receive the tubular metallic end piece a. Oneend of this end piece is slightly reduced andexteriorly threaded toscrew into the interiorly-threaded end (Z of the tube a, and in this endof the end piece I may, if desired, place an ordinary double convex lensadvantageously cemented in a seat prepared therefor. The opposite end ofthe end piece is also bored out and provided with an aperture 3 oftriangular outline.

The plane-convex lens 9, a portion of which appears in the opening oraperture 3 of the tube and which in my former patent is hemispherical,is in the present case a lens whose convex surface is more thanhemispherical.

it is a cylindrical section-block having its advancing surface at anangle of about seventy degrees to the horizontal and its back surfacetransverse to the end piece 0 and at right angles to the axis of thetube a and end 6. The lens g is to be suitably silvered at its back aand cemented to the inclined'surface of the section-block it, and whenthe section-block and lens are pushed into the end piece 0 said lens isto be held in place by cement 5 at the places shown and around the edgesof the opening 3, so as to form a water-tight joint.

The free or right hand end of the end piece is interiorly threaded toreceive a shouldered end plug Z, and passingcentrallythrough this endplug is a set-screw 7a, which after the end plug has been screwed downto place is rotated and pressed against the back of the section-block itto force the same, with the lens 9, forward tightly and snugly to itsseat at all the possible points of contact. After this has beenaccomplised the set-screw 7c is cut off at the exposed surface of theend plug 2' and is riveted or smoothed down to place, so that the jointis closed and substantially liquid tight, because after the lens is onceseated and the parts firmly connected with sealed joints there is noafter occasion to disturb the parts except for breakage.

By the employment of a lens whose convex surface is more thanhemispherical and by slightly increasing the area of the aperture 3 agreater range of vision is obtained for the use of this instrument, itbeing possible to look backward to a far greater extent than waspossible in the device of my former patent, with the lens therein set atan angle of forty-five degrees.

The instrument as hereinbefore described is particularly adapted 'to beused either in connection with the electrosurgical instrument shown anddescribed in my aforesaid Letters Patent or with the electrosurgicalinstrument shown and described in Letters Patent granted to me June 17,1902, No. 702,752, in which an electric lamp is fitted and is availableto illumine any cavity of the body into which the endoscope is inserted.This lens has a range of vision by its divergent angles of incidence inexcess of the hemispherical lens of my aforesaid patent, the divergencebeing only controlled by the inclined walls of the aperture 3 in the endpiece and it being possible to see plainly objects between and in linewith the lens and the head-piece Z).

I claim as my invention 1. In an optical instrument, the combinationwith a tube having an opening therein, of a plano-convex lens whoseconvex surface is more than hemispherical set in said tube adjacent tothe opening therein and in such a position that the angle between theflat face or back of the lens and the axial line of said tube is anangle of about seventy degrees, a support for the said lens in the formof a cylindrical section-block, and means for closing the end of thetube and holding the lens and block firmly in place.

2. In an optical instrument, the combination with a tube having anopening therein, of a plano-convex lens set in said tube adjacent to theopening therein and in such a position that the angle between the Hatface or back of the lens and the axial line of said tubeis an angle ofabout seventy degrees, a cylindrical section-block serving as a supportfor the said lens to which the same is cemented, an end plugconnected tosaid tube back of said block, and a set-screw or equivalent devicepassing centrally through the end plug and hearing at its advancing endagainst the back of the section-plug to force the same to place and thelens to its seat.

3. The combination with a telescopic tube and the lens thereof, of ametal end piece having an opening therein and being adapted to beremovably connected to said telescopic tube, a plano-convex lens set insaid metal end piece filling the opening, a backing on the Hat face orback of said lens, a support for the lens, and means for securelyholding the lens in place to its seat.

4. The combination with a telescopic tube and the lens thereof, of ametal end piece having an opening therein and being adapted to beremovably connected to said telescopic tube, a IJlEmO-CODVGX lens whoseconvex surface is more than hemispherical set in said metal end piecefilling the opening, a backing on the flat face or back of said lens, asupport for the lens, and means operative after the assembling of theparts to force the lens to its seat so as to form a liquid-tight jointwith the parts of the end piece and to hold its base or support inposition.

5. The combination with a telescopic tube, of a metal end piece havingan opening therein and adapted to be connected to said telescopic tube,the free end of said metal end piece be ing bored out to form a seat, acylindrical section -block adapted to pass into said boredout end, anend plug adapted to screw into said end, a set-screw passing centrallythrough the end plug with its advancing end adapted to bear against theback of the section-block, and a plano-convex lens whose convex surfaceis more than hemispherical secured to the surface of said section-blockby its fiat back or face at an angle of about seventy degrees and forcedto place by said set-screw.

6. In an optical instrument,the combination with a tube having anopening therein, of a plano-convex lens whose convex surface is morethan hemispherical set in said tube adjacent to the opening therein andin such a position that the angle between the flat face or back of thelens and the axial line of the tube is an angle of about seventydegrees, a support for the said lens, and means operative after theassembling of the parts to force the lens to its seat so as to form aliquid-tight joint with the parts of the end piece and to hold its baseor support in position.

7. In an optical instrument, the combination with a tube having anopening therein, of a plano convex lens whose convex surface is morethan hemispherical set in said tube adjacentto the opening therein andin such a position that the angle between the flat face or back of thelens and the axial line of the tube is an angle of about seventydegrees, a support for the said lens, a closure for the tube back of thesaid support, and a eoacting manually-actuated device for forcing thelens and its support forward to a seat.

Signed by me this 17th day of June, 190 f.

REINHOLD H. W APPLER.

\Vitnesses:

Geo. T. Pmcxxur, S. F. HAVILAND.

